Germany, not Lithuania, blocking Serbia's chapter 31?

It is possible that chapter 31 in Serbia's EU accession talks, relating to foreign policy and security, will be open only at the end of these negotiations.

Source: BetaFriday, 17.08.2018. | 09:42

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(EPA, file, illustration purposes)

In an analysis published under the headline, "Chapter 31 in Berlin's 'drawer'," the same sources assess that the issue of opening chapter 31 "is not on the agenda" - according to Danas, this confirms the European Western Balkans website's information that Lithuania is not responsible for blocking the opening of that chapter.

Instead, according to this, the screening report for chapter 31 is "in the drawer of a powerful foreign ministry of one of the EU member states."

Danas learned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania that the EU will remain open to countries that show "uequivocal European orientation" and who "carry out the necessary reforms."

"Lithuania and other member states are concerned by the reduced level of Serbia's alignment with EU's common positions in the field of foreign and security policy - there is currently a degree of harmonization of 49 percent," the Lithuanian ministry said.

The same ministry, as one of the reasons for concern, also mentions the lack of alignment of Serbia's position with the EU on "Russian aggression in Ukraine" - and the participation of Serbia in annual military exercises with Russia "near the borders of the EU and NATO."

You appear to be clueless how the EU does things. What the EU does has to be approved by the Council of the EU, the EU Parliament and/or the EU Commission. Germany can do what it likes with only about 1/8th of the votes in the EU Parliament, 1/28th of the votes in the EU commission and with the maximum of about 1/6th of the votes in the Council of the EU (if the qualified majority procedure is used, because many decisions in the Council of the EU require the unanimity of all EU member states).
(icj1, 20 August 2018 00:47

You cannot even legislate against such stupidity.
(sj, 21 August 2018 10:04)

don't get it most of the serbians don't want to join the E.U. why's Serbia. Or vucic trying to get in the European Union even if Serbia recognizes Kosovo they still won't let Serbia join the European Union . all this countrys are not serbians friends remember when they bombarded Serbia . Serbia must stay neutral
(Nick, 19 August 2018 15:31)

I have wondered the same thing as you and I think its not so much in joining the EU, but getting money from the EU to build infrastructure. The EU is giving Serbia money to build roads, bridges and rail and this is what Serbia needs. The EU will not take any more members because it cannot deal with any additional members since it cannot meet its financial obligations not because they like or dislike Serbia .
The EU is still printing money. Its was supposed to stop last December but since the EU economies are stagnant the presses are into overdrive.
The Germans now regret taking Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia, but at the time there was extreme fear that Russia would spread its influence in the region. Now they are living to regret that move since these Balkan countries are a severe burden and Russia is in the Blakans.
(sj, 20 August 2018 12:29)

Who vehemently supports the "independence" of Kosovo under the disguise of the the self-determination of its people yet opposes self-determination for the people in the Crimea and in Catalonia? Germany.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

Well, not just Germany. The majority of countries in the world have recognised Kosovo's Declaration of Independence because it was in accordance with international law. However, they have not recognised Crimea and Catalonia's declaration of independence because the UN called upon all States not to recognise any alteration of the status of Crimea on the basis of the 6 March 2014 referendum in Crimea. If the UN had called upon all states not to recognise Kosovo's Declaration of Independence, Germany would not have recognised it.
----------

The EU is not an organisation of equal partners as long as Germany is allowed to do what it likes.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

You appear to be clueless how the EU does things. What the EU does has to be approved by the Council of the EU, the EU Parliament and/or the EU Commission. Germany can do what it likes with only about 1/8th of the votes in the EU Parliament, 1/28th of the votes in the EU commission and with the maximum of about 1/6th of the votes in the Council of the EU (if the qualified majority procedure is used, because many decisions in the Council of the EU require the unanimity of all EU member states).
(icj1, 20 August 2018 00:47)

We had to fight Germany twice in the last century to stop them taking control of Europe--once to stop the Kaiser's dream of a germanised Europe and once to stop the Master Race.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

Oh, woow, you must be, at least, about 110-115 years old since you have fought to stop the Kaiser's dream of a germanised Europe!!! Congratulations for being one of the few men still alive to have reached that age :)
----------

Who is responsible for the death of 20 million Soviets.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

The most recent one was Stalin
----------

Who opened the gates to the flood of migrants
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

Nobody opened the gates to any flood of migrants, dear, so it's not clear what you are talking about!
----------

Who first recognised Croatia during the break up of Yugoslavia? Germany.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

That's obviously a lie since it was Slovenia the first country to recognise Croatia. Germany, Russia and a few others recognised it about 6-7 months later.
(icj1, 20 August 2018 00:28)

Germany is the most powerful country in Europe how is this possible? Everyone in Europe forget what they did in both first& second World war. What is wrong with the Europeans? Serbia was only fitting terrorist Germany was trying to exterminate the world I sey let's split Germany in in parts before they start the 4th right
(Nick, 19 August 2018 15:46)

I don't get it most of the serbians don't want to join the E.U. why's Serbia. Or vucic trying to get in the European Union even if Serbia recognizes Kosovo they still won't let Serbia join the European Union . all this countrys are not serbians friends remember when they bombarded Serbia . Serbia must stay neutral
(Nick, 19 August 2018 15:31)

To icj: We had to fight Germany twice in the last century to stop them taking control of Europe--once to stop the Kaiser's dream of a germanised Europe and once to stop the Master Race. Who is responsible for the death of 20 million Soviets, 6 million Jews, 3 million Poles and countless other peoples in the last world war alone? And now they try and dominate the EU with their so-called "Leitkultur". Well, if you want to join the German club of Brussels and let them determine what you should say and do then you are welcome to it, but I and many others in the EU and in Europe do not want to be part of it. Who opened the gates to the flood of migrants and then when they couldn't cope demanded that the rest of Europe should take quotas? I suppose that it was Italy? Or France? Or Poland? No it was Germany. Who first recognised Croatia during the break up of Yugoslavia? Germany. Who vehemently supports the "independence" of Kosovo under the disguise of the the self-determination of its people yet opposes self-determination for the people in the Crimea and in Catalonia? Germany. Do not underestimate their influence in Brussels - it is huge and it is wrong. The EU is not an organisation of equal partners as long as Germany is allowed to do what it likes.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

Who cares about the e.u. it is a completely unsustainable model. Everybody knows this. Its so bad that not even the british can figure out how to rape it into an advantage to them. What good could it possibly do Serbia? It will invite terrible and phony investors to line the pockets of politicians. The eu is such a joke.
(Ian, 17 August 2018 22:53)

Iíve just typed a comment, but the page of my browser just spontaneously refreshed while I was typing, and all the text was lost. This has happened several times before. Is this a problem with the page as provided by B92, or is it a fault with the browser? Do others have this problem? (Iím using iPad Safari).
(Bob, 17 August 2018 10:57)

Iíve just typed a comment, but the page of my browser just spontaneously refreshed while I was typing, and all the text was lost. This has happened several times before. Is this a problem with the page as provided by B92, or is it a fault with the browser? Do others have this problem? (Iím using iPad Safari).
(Bob, 17 August 2018 10:57)

Who cares about the e.u. it is a completely unsustainable model. Everybody knows this. Its so bad that not even the british can figure out how to rape it into an advantage to them. What good could it possibly do Serbia? It will invite terrible and phony investors to line the pockets of politicians. The eu is such a joke.
(Ian, 17 August 2018 22:53)

Germany is the most powerful country in Europe how is this possible? Everyone in Europe forget what they did in both first& second World war. What is wrong with the Europeans? Serbia was only fitting terrorist Germany was trying to exterminate the world I sey let's split Germany in in parts before they start the 4th right
(Nick, 19 August 2018 15:46)

I don't get it most of the serbians don't want to join the E.U. why's Serbia. Or vucic trying to get in the European Union even if Serbia recognizes Kosovo they still won't let Serbia join the European Union . all this countrys are not serbians friends remember when they bombarded Serbia . Serbia must stay neutral
(Nick, 19 August 2018 15:31)

Who vehemently supports the "independence" of Kosovo under the disguise of the the self-determination of its people yet opposes self-determination for the people in the Crimea and in Catalonia? Germany.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

Well, not just Germany. The majority of countries in the world have recognised Kosovo's Declaration of Independence because it was in accordance with international law. However, they have not recognised Crimea and Catalonia's declaration of independence because the UN called upon all States not to recognise any alteration of the status of Crimea on the basis of the 6 March 2014 referendum in Crimea. If the UN had called upon all states not to recognise Kosovo's Declaration of Independence, Germany would not have recognised it.
----------

The EU is not an organisation of equal partners as long as Germany is allowed to do what it likes.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

You appear to be clueless how the EU does things. What the EU does has to be approved by the Council of the EU, the EU Parliament and/or the EU Commission. Germany can do what it likes with only about 1/8th of the votes in the EU Parliament, 1/28th of the votes in the EU commission and with the maximum of about 1/6th of the votes in the Council of the EU (if the qualified majority procedure is used, because many decisions in the Council of the EU require the unanimity of all EU member states).
(icj1, 20 August 2018 00:47)

We had to fight Germany twice in the last century to stop them taking control of Europe--once to stop the Kaiser's dream of a germanised Europe and once to stop the Master Race.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

Oh, woow, you must be, at least, about 110-115 years old since you have fought to stop the Kaiser's dream of a germanised Europe!!! Congratulations for being one of the few men still alive to have reached that age :)
----------

Who is responsible for the death of 20 million Soviets.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

The most recent one was Stalin
----------

Who opened the gates to the flood of migrants
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

Nobody opened the gates to any flood of migrants, dear, so it's not clear what you are talking about!
----------

Who first recognised Croatia during the break up of Yugoslavia? Germany.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

That's obviously a lie since it was Slovenia the first country to recognise Croatia. Germany, Russia and a few others recognised it about 6-7 months later.
(icj1, 20 August 2018 00:28)

To icj: We had to fight Germany twice in the last century to stop them taking control of Europe--once to stop the Kaiser's dream of a germanised Europe and once to stop the Master Race. Who is responsible for the death of 20 million Soviets, 6 million Jews, 3 million Poles and countless other peoples in the last world war alone? And now they try and dominate the EU with their so-called "Leitkultur". Well, if you want to join the German club of Brussels and let them determine what you should say and do then you are welcome to it, but I and many others in the EU and in Europe do not want to be part of it. Who opened the gates to the flood of migrants and then when they couldn't cope demanded that the rest of Europe should take quotas? I suppose that it was Italy? Or France? Or Poland? No it was Germany. Who first recognised Croatia during the break up of Yugoslavia? Germany. Who vehemently supports the "independence" of Kosovo under the disguise of the the self-determination of its people yet opposes self-determination for the people in the Crimea and in Catalonia? Germany. Do not underestimate their influence in Brussels - it is huge and it is wrong. The EU is not an organisation of equal partners as long as Germany is allowed to do what it likes.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

don't get it most of the serbians don't want to join the E.U. why's Serbia. Or vucic trying to get in the European Union even if Serbia recognizes Kosovo they still won't let Serbia join the European Union . all this countrys are not serbians friends remember when they bombarded Serbia . Serbia must stay neutral
(Nick, 19 August 2018 15:31)

I have wondered the same thing as you and I think its not so much in joining the EU, but getting money from the EU to build infrastructure. The EU is giving Serbia money to build roads, bridges and rail and this is what Serbia needs. The EU will not take any more members because it cannot deal with any additional members since it cannot meet its financial obligations not because they like or dislike Serbia .
The EU is still printing money. Its was supposed to stop last December but since the EU economies are stagnant the presses are into overdrive.
The Germans now regret taking Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia, but at the time there was extreme fear that Russia would spread its influence in the region. Now they are living to regret that move since these Balkan countries are a severe burden and Russia is in the Blakans.
(sj, 20 August 2018 12:29)

You appear to be clueless how the EU does things. What the EU does has to be approved by the Council of the EU, the EU Parliament and/or the EU Commission. Germany can do what it likes with only about 1/8th of the votes in the EU Parliament, 1/28th of the votes in the EU commission and with the maximum of about 1/6th of the votes in the Council of the EU (if the qualified majority procedure is used, because many decisions in the Council of the EU require the unanimity of all EU member states).
(icj1, 20 August 2018 00:47

You cannot even legislate against such stupidity.
(sj, 21 August 2018 10:04)

Iíve just typed a comment, but the page of my browser just spontaneously refreshed while I was typing, and all the text was lost. This has happened several times before. Is this a problem with the page as provided by B92, or is it a fault with the browser? Do others have this problem? (Iím using iPad Safari).
(Bob, 17 August 2018 10:57)

Germany is the most powerful country in Europe how is this possible? Everyone in Europe forget what they did in both first& second World war. What is wrong with the Europeans? Serbia was only fitting terrorist Germany was trying to exterminate the world I sey let's split Germany in in parts before they start the 4th right
(Nick, 19 August 2018 15:46)

You appear to be clueless how the EU does things. What the EU does has to be approved by the Council of the EU, the EU Parliament and/or the EU Commission. Germany can do what it likes with only about 1/8th of the votes in the EU Parliament, 1/28th of the votes in the EU commission and with the maximum of about 1/6th of the votes in the Council of the EU (if the qualified majority procedure is used, because many decisions in the Council of the EU require the unanimity of all EU member states).
(icj1, 20 August 2018 00:47

You cannot even legislate against such stupidity.
(sj, 21 August 2018 10:04)

Who cares about the e.u. it is a completely unsustainable model. Everybody knows this. Its so bad that not even the british can figure out how to rape it into an advantage to them. What good could it possibly do Serbia? It will invite terrible and phony investors to line the pockets of politicians. The eu is such a joke.
(Ian, 17 August 2018 22:53)

To icj: We had to fight Germany twice in the last century to stop them taking control of Europe--once to stop the Kaiser's dream of a germanised Europe and once to stop the Master Race. Who is responsible for the death of 20 million Soviets, 6 million Jews, 3 million Poles and countless other peoples in the last world war alone? And now they try and dominate the EU with their so-called "Leitkultur". Well, if you want to join the German club of Brussels and let them determine what you should say and do then you are welcome to it, but I and many others in the EU and in Europe do not want to be part of it. Who opened the gates to the flood of migrants and then when they couldn't cope demanded that the rest of Europe should take quotas? I suppose that it was Italy? Or France? Or Poland? No it was Germany. Who first recognised Croatia during the break up of Yugoslavia? Germany. Who vehemently supports the "independence" of Kosovo under the disguise of the the self-determination of its people yet opposes self-determination for the people in the Crimea and in Catalonia? Germany. Do not underestimate their influence in Brussels - it is huge and it is wrong. The EU is not an organisation of equal partners as long as Germany is allowed to do what it likes.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

I don't get it most of the serbians don't want to join the E.U. why's Serbia. Or vucic trying to get in the European Union even if Serbia recognizes Kosovo they still won't let Serbia join the European Union . all this countrys are not serbians friends remember when they bombarded Serbia . Serbia must stay neutral
(Nick, 19 August 2018 15:31)

don't get it most of the serbians don't want to join the E.U. why's Serbia. Or vucic trying to get in the European Union even if Serbia recognizes Kosovo they still won't let Serbia join the European Union . all this countrys are not serbians friends remember when they bombarded Serbia . Serbia must stay neutral
(Nick, 19 August 2018 15:31)

I have wondered the same thing as you and I think its not so much in joining the EU, but getting money from the EU to build infrastructure. The EU is giving Serbia money to build roads, bridges and rail and this is what Serbia needs. The EU will not take any more members because it cannot deal with any additional members since it cannot meet its financial obligations not because they like or dislike Serbia .
The EU is still printing money. Its was supposed to stop last December but since the EU economies are stagnant the presses are into overdrive.
The Germans now regret taking Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia, but at the time there was extreme fear that Russia would spread its influence in the region. Now they are living to regret that move since these Balkan countries are a severe burden and Russia is in the Blakans.
(sj, 20 August 2018 12:29)

Who vehemently supports the "independence" of Kosovo under the disguise of the the self-determination of its people yet opposes self-determination for the people in the Crimea and in Catalonia? Germany.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

Well, not just Germany. The majority of countries in the world have recognised Kosovo's Declaration of Independence because it was in accordance with international law. However, they have not recognised Crimea and Catalonia's declaration of independence because the UN called upon all States not to recognise any alteration of the status of Crimea on the basis of the 6 March 2014 referendum in Crimea. If the UN had called upon all states not to recognise Kosovo's Declaration of Independence, Germany would not have recognised it.
----------

The EU is not an organisation of equal partners as long as Germany is allowed to do what it likes.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

You appear to be clueless how the EU does things. What the EU does has to be approved by the Council of the EU, the EU Parliament and/or the EU Commission. Germany can do what it likes with only about 1/8th of the votes in the EU Parliament, 1/28th of the votes in the EU commission and with the maximum of about 1/6th of the votes in the Council of the EU (if the qualified majority procedure is used, because many decisions in the Council of the EU require the unanimity of all EU member states).
(icj1, 20 August 2018 00:47)

We had to fight Germany twice in the last century to stop them taking control of Europe--once to stop the Kaiser's dream of a germanised Europe and once to stop the Master Race.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

Oh, woow, you must be, at least, about 110-115 years old since you have fought to stop the Kaiser's dream of a germanised Europe!!! Congratulations for being one of the few men still alive to have reached that age :)
----------

Who is responsible for the death of 20 million Soviets.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

The most recent one was Stalin
----------

Who opened the gates to the flood of migrants
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

Nobody opened the gates to any flood of migrants, dear, so it's not clear what you are talking about!
----------

Who first recognised Croatia during the break up of Yugoslavia? Germany.
(Tony (a Brit currently working in Berlin), 19 August 2018 01:31)

That's obviously a lie since it was Slovenia the first country to recognise Croatia. Germany, Russia and a few others recognised it about 6-7 months later.
(icj1, 20 August 2018 00:28)